Woe to the leaders of Ephraim and Judah

1Woe to that wreath, the pride of Ephraim’s drunkards,

to the fading flower, his glorious beauty,

set on the head of a fertile valley –

to that city, the pride of those laid low by wine!

2See, the Lord has one who is powerful and strong.

Like a hailstorm and a destructive wind,

like a driving rain and a flooding downpour,

he will throw it forcefully to the ground.

3That wreath, the pride of Ephraim’s drunkards,

will be trampled underfoot.

4That fading flower, his glorious beauty,

set on the head of a fertile valley,

will be like figs ripe before harvest –

as soon as people see them and take them in hand,

they swallow them.

5In that day the Lord Almighty

will be a glorious crown,

a beautiful wreath

for the remnant of his people.

6He will be a spirit of justice

to the one who sits in judgment,

a source of strength

to those who turn back the battle at the gate.

7And these also stagger from wine

and reel from beer:

priests and prophets stagger from beer

and are befuddled with wine;

they reel from beer,

they stagger when seeing visions,

they stumble when rendering decisions.

8All the tables are covered with vomit

and there is not a spot without filth.

9‘Who is it he is trying to teach?

To whom is he explaining his message?

To children weaned from their milk,

to those just taken from the breast?

10For it is:

do this, do that,

a rule for this, a rule for that28:10 Hebrew / sav lasav sav lasav / kav lakav kav lakav (probably meaningless sounds mimicking the prophet’s words); also in verse 13;

a little here, a little there.’

11Very well then, with foreign lips and strange tongues

God will speak to this people,

12to whom he said,

‘This is the resting-place, let the weary rest’;

and, ‘This is the place of repose’ –

but they would not listen.

13So then, the word of the Lord to them will become:

do this, do that,

a rule for this, a rule for that;

a little here, a little there –

so that as they go they will fall backwards;

they will be injured and snared and captured.

14Therefore hear the word of the Lord, you scoffers

who rule this people in Jerusalem.

15You boast, ‘We have entered into a covenant with death,

with the realm of the dead we have made an agreement.

When an overwhelming scourge sweeps by,

it cannot touch us,

for we have made a lie our refuge

and falsehood28:15 Or false gods our hiding-place.’

16So this is what the Sovereign Lord says:

‘See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone,

a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation;

the one who relies on it

will never be stricken with panic.

17I will make justice the measuring line

and righteousness the plumb-line;

hail will sweep away your refuge, the lie,

and water will overflow your hiding-place.

18Your covenant with death will be annulled;

your agreement with the realm of the dead will not stand.

When the overwhelming scourge sweeps by,

you will be beaten down by it.

19As often as it comes it will carry you away;

morning after morning, by day and by night,

it will sweep through.’

The understanding of this message

will bring sheer terror.

20The bed is too short to stretch out on,

the blanket too narrow to wrap around you.

21The Lord will rise up as he did at Mount Perazim,

he will rouse himself as in the Valley of Gibeon –

to do his work, his strange work,

and perform his task, his alien task.

22Now stop your mocking,

or your chains will become heavier;

the Lord, the Lord Almighty, has told me

of the destruction decreed against the whole land.

23Listen and hear my voice;

pay attention and hear what I say.

24When a farmer ploughs for planting, does he plough continually?

Does he keep on breaking up and working the soil?

25When he has levelled the surface,

does he not sow caraway and scatter cummin?

Does he not plant wheat in its place,28:25 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.

barley in its plot,28:25 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.

and spelt in its field?

26His God instructs him

and teaches him the right way.

27Caraway is not threshed with a sledge,

nor is the cartwheel rolled over cummin;

caraway is beaten out with a rod,

and cummin with a stick.

28Grain must be ground to make bread;

so one does not go on threshing it for ever.

The wheels of a threshing-cart may be rolled over it,

but one does not use horses to grind grain.

29All this also comes from the Lord Almighty,

whose plan is wonderful,

whose wisdom is magnificent.